{"id":51458,"date":"2025-08-07T11:17:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T15:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/we-want-hamas-disarmed-out-of-governance-french-amb-to-israel-tells-post\/07\/08\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T11:17:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T15:17:55","slug":"we-want-hamas-disarmed-out-of-governance-french-amb-to-israel-tells-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/we-want-hamas-disarmed-out-of-governance-french-amb-to-israel-tells-post\/07\/08\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We want Hamas disarmed, out of governance,&#8217; French amb. to Israel tells &#8216;Post&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhat I found most impressive,\u201d Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Journ\u00e8s explained, \u201cwas the movement of many Muslim and Arab states &#8211; now clearly saying: There can be no Hamas in governance.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After days of intense criticism from Israeli officials following French President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, French Ambassador to Israel Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Journ\u00e8s told <em>The Jerusalem Post<\/em> on Wednesday that the move was not an act of appeasement towards terror, but rather quite the opposite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe are not supporting Hamas. We are saying loud and clear: we want them out of governance, we want them disarmed, and we don\u2019t want them to have any role in the future Palestinian state,\u201d the ambassador said. He added: \u201cI very sincerely do not believe this war will end with anything positive resulting from what they did on October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When asked for his reaction to Hamas officials claiming that the recognition was a result of the October 7 massacre, Journ\u00e8s is unequivocal. In his view, \u201cWhen Hamas praises progress on something, it usually means the opposite. We know they have always hated the two-state solution because they don\u2019t want two states; they want to wipe Israel off the map. They\u2019re just trying to derail what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>French Ambassador to Israel Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Journ\u00e8s. (credit: FRENCH EMBASSY)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">A Significant Shift Among Arab and Muslim States<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to Journ\u00e8s, one of the most important developments in recent months is a change in regional dynamics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhat I found most impressive,\u201d he explained, \u201cwas the movement of many Muslim and Arab states &#8211; some traditionally critical of Israel &#8211; now clearly saying: there can be no Hamas in governance, and they are willing to participate in stabilization efforts in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He pointed to the recent French-Saudi initiative at the United Nations, which he claims has not been adequately covered in Israeli media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhat we\u2019ve achieved is a major diplomatic shift &#8211; Arab countries are now saying that normalization with Israel is possible, but it must come with the elimination of Hamas from power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He highlights the declaration issued at the end of a high-level UN meeting on a two-state solution, noting that Arab countries supported a statement condemning the October 7 attack as terrorism and calling on other nations to recognize Israel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe believe the future must involve normalization with Israel, which means getting rid of Hamas, disarming it, and removing it from any role in the governance of a future Palestinian state.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">A New Model for a Palestinian State: Demilitarized and Accountable<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Journ\u00e8s emphasized the need for a future Palestinian state to be peaceful, responsible, and accountable, both to its own people and to Israel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cIt must be a demilitarized state that accepts Israel\u2019s existence, rejects hate speech, and is led by people who renounce terrorism,\u201d he said. \u201cThis will require reforms, free elections with vetted candidates, an end to the \u2018pay for slay\u2019 policy (financing terrorists), and international security mechanisms on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The ambassador noted that support from Arab countries for these ideas, voiced at the recent conference, \u201cis not insignificant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He envisions a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, accompanied by the deployment of international monitors and a significant increase in humanitarian aid to combat smuggling and war profiteering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe are offering the people of Israel a situation where they can reach a ceasefire, followed by the deployment of an international security mechanism in Gaza, which includes the release of all the hostages, and I insist, all the hostages,\u201d said Journ\u00e8s. \u201cThat means a future for Israel that does not involve sending hundreds of thousands of its young people to occupy Gaza for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">There cannot be war forever<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cIsrael is a place that never leaves your mind,\u201d Journ\u00e8s reflected early in the interview, after serving in Israel for the past two years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Having experienced rocket sirens, attended Israeli funerals, and witnessed the trauma of October 7 firsthand, he doesn\u2019t speak as a distant observer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI\u2019ve gone to the mamad [bomb shelter] 119 times since I arrived,\u201d he said, referencing the protective rooms that have become an everyday reality for Israelis. \u201cAll my friends have children or brothers involved in this war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This personal connection, he said, is what fuels France\u2019s diplomatic effort to help build a new reality \u2014 one that unites Arab and Muslim nations with Western powers to shape \u201cthe day after\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe are trying to propose an alternative to endless war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Journ\u00e8s\u2019 voice cracked as he spoke about the human cost of the conflict.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe saddest moment for me,\u201d he recalled, \u201cwas the funeral of Elia Toledano, whose brother I had flown with to Paris. He was going to campaign for him in Brussels. I came back to Israel, and his brother was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That loss, along with the plight of the hostages, fuels a deep moral urgency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cFor God\u2019s sake, this is so important for the Jewish people &#8211; for the moral contract between Israel and the Jewish people &#8211; to bring back the hostages, to bring back the bodies, so that their families can say Kaddish, can sit shiva.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Even though relations between Israel and France are currently strained, Journ\u00e8s stresses that disagreement does not mean hostility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhat I love about Israel,\u201d he said, \u201cis that you argue with your friends. We don\u2019t have smooth conversations &#8211; and that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThere is a cost to not taking a chance at peace,\u201d he warned. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a very high cost &#8211; for the Israeli people, but also for us. We cannot be so afraid of the situation that we allow Israel\u2019s enemies to fuel a global wave of antisemitism with images of war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The alternative, he believes, is to return to the trajectory Israel was on before October 7 &#8211; building a thriving, normalized, and peaceful future in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe can go beyond the horrors of October 7,\u201d he concluded. \u201cWe can\u2019t sacrifice the well-being of the Israeli people, or the future of their children, just because we\u2019re too afraid of the situation to work for lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/want-hamas-disarmed-governance-french-143307156.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&ldquo;What I found most impressive,&rdquo; Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Journ&egrave;s explained, &ldquo;was the movement of many Muslim and Arab states &ndash; now clearly saying: There<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/we-want-hamas-disarmed-out-of-governance-french-amb-to-israel-tells-post\/07\/08\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/jerusalem_post_articles_818\/7868552f051424d0bcbea5e2a352c278","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51458"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}